Deciding on a career path can be a daunting experience for many school leavers, especially when the future is so unpredictable.
However, there are things you can do to future proof your career.
Many people predict that the future holds extensive technological advancements in robots, drones and Artificial Intelligence and that jobs with high growth potential will lie solely within these industries.
They might be somewhat right.
However, evidence suggests employment growth in technology won’t be as prominent in the next five years compared to others.
Future Proof Careers
According to The New Daily (2019), four industries are predicted to make up over 66% of total employment growth by 2023.
These four projected industries include:
- Health care and social workers
- Scientific and technical services
- ConstructionEducation and training
There is reliable evidence to suggest that in the next five years, it will be demographic changes that have the largest influence on job opportunities.
After the surge in population due to the baby boomer generation, Australia has a large ageing population that will require health care workers and aged home carers.
This is why it comes as no surprise that the top 10 careers with the largest projected employment growth rates over the next five years are largely care-based.
- Carers and Aides
- Sports and personal services workers
- Health professionals
- Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals
- Food trades workers
- Hospitality workers
- Legal, social and welfare professionals
- Health and welfare support workers
- Skilled animal and horticultural workers
- Specialist managers
Source: The New Daily, 2019.
In light of these surges in specific industries, some employment growth declines have also been predicted to occur within the next five years.
Future proof jobs with high growth potential
Secretarial jobs, administrative jobs, sales jobs and machinery operations plants are set to diminish in terms of human employment growth rates.
This isn’t to say you should only choose from one of the ten jobs listed above.
These are just projections and should rather inform you and make you aware of potential growth in employment in the coming years.
One of the best ways to future proof your career is to choose an industry you are interested in and to upskill and learn transferable skills.
Continuously upskilling and learning transferable skills will provide you with the opportunities to transfer between industries more seamlessly than going back to study to do so.
The more skills you have and the more information you gain, the more employable you will remain and the better-informed decisions you will make no matter what the future holds.
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